College Mindset List

It's about this time of year, when the annual college mindset list is published. It is designed to give college professors an idea of just what life experiences that the incoming class have, or more importantly, are too young to have lived through. It's purpose is to keep classroom discussion relevant. You've heard it on the news- this year's includes such nuggets as these kids have never used a typewriter, Jay Leno was always the host of the Tonight Show, and that Coke and Pepsi have always been in plastic, recyclable bottles. Fun stuff. Just enough to make us feel old.

Well, I propose another sort of list. How about, one for those of us who haven't stepped foot on a college campus for, oh a dozen years or so. Just how different are schools today? Without even beginning the fall semester, I can tell you...

You don't buy your college books at the bookstore- you buy them at Amazon

You don't wait in a line to register for your classes. You don't phone them in either. You, of course, register on line, whenever you feel like it.

You use the internet- for just about everything.

Many students bring laptops to class, and type their notes in that way. I've already witnessed at least one occurrence, of a student looking up information that the instructor was discussing, and correct them in class!

Papers aren't typed. They're e-mailed as a .doc file

The library is a big building with a vending machine in it.

Okay, that last one hasn't changed for me since my days as an undergrad.

So, you understand my point. It's technologically challenging. The professor who I am paired with this fall is very excited about introducing pod casting and internet journalism to our class. That's great stuff. I think I'll just hop in a desk while he's teaching it, and learn with the other students. TV news' idea of using the internet is putting last night's top story online. It will take a lot of getting used to.